Safrodaska
The city of Safrodaska is the capitol of the Baunjil Sultanate in the Kaspari Empire. It lies on the Baunjil River only about 50 miles south of the eaves of the Sabo Jungles. It is an ancient, alien-looking place, perched upon the bluff overlooking the river. The city's architecture - heavy, angular, and depressing - is unique in the Kaspari Empire. Safrodaska is a base for individuals seeking to explore the ruins of the inner Sabo Jungles, many of which lie on the upper courses of the Baunjil River. All ruins within two days' travel of the city have been mostly revealed and gutted, and the landscape and fields are littered with defaced and toppled statues and monuments to forgotten gods. Beyond that, the brush and scrub conceals a great deal. There, discoveries are yet to be made - from simple ruins such as baths and watchtowers to greater finds such as tombs or temples. The most recent version of Safrodaska proper is built upon the ruins of at least 12 other cities, all situated upon the bluffs above the Baunjil. Despite its newer construction, today's Safrodaska has the same haunting nature of its ruined predecessors: windowless architecture; hulking and oppressive city walls (broken only by a pair of gates); and odd, five-sided towers and rooms. Safrodaska is overrun with its heritage. The ruins of many buildings remain. Most of the graven icons of the ancient ways have been destroyed, their statues crushed to rubble. Nonetheless, the city has a savage, idolatrous atmosphere, for a number of these icons survive in the back alleys and as part of existing buildings. The city's people are mainly Paumoki natives from the nearby fields, which have only been cleared from the jungles in the past few generations. Safrodaska's lord, Sedavih Kuhla, still takes the ancient title "Maupak", though she professes her allegiance to the Emperor in Qadat. Most of the city's money lies in the hands of interlopers - a few adventurers who were lucky at tomb-robbing, a handful of merchants who exported (and smuggled) rare items from this region to Siul, and courtiers who have offended the Sultana of Ravit. (The people of Gilarah have a saying: "Better to live without a hand than to be posted to Safrodaska.") The native classes, distinctly poorer, harbor a deep resentment toward these prosperous outsiders. Were it not for the swords of the mamluks and the hired mercenaries, a rebellion would occur and blood would flow in the streets. The split between Safrodaska's natives is represented in the opinion that other Kasparis have of the city. To the rest of the world, this city's native people are savage and secretive, still worshipping their old icons when they can. Safrodaska's leaders, on the other hand, are viewed as tricky, suspect, and greedy. Only from a position of strength can more civilized Kasparis hope to control both groups and maintain the fragile balance between them. Sites in Safrodaska The public architecture of Safrodaska is heavy and depressing. Notable sites include the massive city walls, the Gates of Dawn, the Maupak's Royal Palace, and the ruin- and monument-strewn Inner City. Rumors and Lore Legends persist that the ancient passages and catacombs of the city's past have survived. Followers of the old cult-gods are said to use these places in the secret worship of their savage idols. Such idolatry does not officially exist in Safrodaska, so the Maupak is not looking for it. While Safrodaska is outwardly an enlightened city, the city's modern mosques are small, austere, and poorly attended, more appropriate for a village or town than a major city. Although the majority of the city's native inhabitants show up for prayer at the required times, many also worship the ancient forgotten gods. The largest and most active of these savage cults is that of Ushmawe. Ushmawe's idols and small shrines can be found sheltered in Safrodaska's back streets and alleys. Unlike the small shrines in Ejor, these sites are considered holy and are secretly venerated by an increasing number of Safrodaska's native citizens. Like the city's other unenlightened sects, the cult of Ushmawe maintains a major temple in the catacombs beneath the city proper. Category:Small Cities Category:Settlements Category:Settlements in the Kaspari Empire Category:Locations in Baunjil Category:Locations in the Kaspari Empire Category:Locations